Queiroz: The Egyptians must be happy with our performance

were held to a 2-2 draw by

in the last round of the qualifiers for World Cup, becoming the fourth team to do that alongside Mali, Morocco, and Senegal.

Six more teams will join up with them in the last round with only five getting a place in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Egypt were 2-0 down but they managed to level the game and earn one point. While their display raised questions by supporters and pundits,

Carlos Queiroz

backed his players, insisting that the playing conditions weren’t helpful.

“

We changed the team’s situation in three games, our mission isn’t over yet. I congratulate the players for their great reaction, they had a heroic performance after a difficult first-half,”

Queiroz said in the post-match press conference.

“The humidity and heat hindered our start to the match, and this is the reason we started poorly. We adapted after a while, and when we controlled the midfield, things changed and we were close to winning.

“With a little bit more accuracy we would have won. My message is that the most important thing is how you finish the journey and not how you start it.

“We have a lot of work ahead of us from now until March (the date of the final round). We must focus on the Arab Cup, as it’s an opportunity to try new players. We also have to try to win the Africa Cup of Nations because we are Egypt.

“But our main goal is to qualify for the World Cup. That is why the Federation signed me.

“The Egyptian national team is open to any player. No doors are closed. There is no player whose place is guaranteed. There are many players who dream of wearing this jersey,”

he added.

Queiroz and an Angolan player started a fight in the second-half which resulted in a big altercation between both sides’ players and the Portuguese tactician talked about the details of what went on.

“About the fight? It’s a normal thing in football, a young player from Angola said inappropriate words, but it’s over, I just want to tell him that I was coaching before you were born,”

he continued.

“The Egyptians must be happy with the team’s performance today. It’s not easy to comeback from a two-goal deficit in an away stadium. They should be proud of the team, we still have a lot to do,” he concluded.

Egypt are sitting sixth in the CAF rankings and are hoping for strong results in the AFCON and the Arab Cup to better their rankings.

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